The Dodger franchise history from both Brooklyn and Los Angeles

December 2012

December 6, 1973 – The Dodgers traded veteran left-handed pitcher Claude Osteen to the Houston Astros in exchange for outfielder Jimmy Wynn. The Dodgers wanted to add power and took their chances on Wynn, nicknamed “The Toy Cannon.” Wynn hit just .220 with the Astros in 1973, but the Dodgers put him on the cover of the 1974 yearbook. Wynn sparked the Dodgers to the 1974 pennant with 32 home runs, 108 RBI, 108 walks and 104 runs scored. The All-Star finished fifth in the MVP balloting and earned N.L. “Comeback Player of the Year” honors.

December 5, 1973 – The Dodgers traded center fielder Willie Davis to the Montreal Expos in exchange for relief pitcher Mike Marshall. Davis, who made his Dodger debut in September 1960, was the all-time leader in most L.A. categories. Marshall finished second in the N.L. Cy Young Award balloting in 1973 behind the Mets’ Tom Seaver after Marshall appeared in 92 games with the Expos. With L.A. in 1974, manager Walter Alston called upon Marshall in a record 106 games and the right-hander became the first reliever to win the Cy Young Award, going 15-12 with a 2.42 ERA and 21 saves in 208.1 innings. He also finished third in the MVP balloting behind the Dodgers’ Steve Garvey and Lou Brock (Cardinals).

December 4, 1958 – The Dodgers traded center fielder Gino Cimoli to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for outfielder Wally Moon. The idea of playing at the Los Angeles Coliseum initially didn’t appeal to the left-handed hitting Moon. But Cardinals teammate Stan Musial suggested Moon had the swing to “pepper” the Coliseum’s left-field screen, which was just 240 feet from home plate. Moon gave it a try and his opposite-field home runs became “Moon Shots” as the Dodgers went from seventh place in 1958 to World Champs in 1959.

December 3, 2008 – Baseball pioneer Walter O’Malley is elected to the Hall of Fame by the veterans committee in the class of executives and managers. O’Malley was the president of the Dodgers from 1950-70 and later served as chairman of the board until his passing in 1979. His son, Peter O’Malley, was the Dodger team president from 1970-98. Walter O’Malley began his association with the ballclub in 1933 as a lawyer for the Brooklyn Trust Company, which owned the estate of Charles Ebbets and half of the Dodger franchise.

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